In general, an airbag device is a safety device installed inside a vehicle to protect an occupant when external impact is applied to the vehicle. The airbag device is installed at the central portion of a steering wheel provided at the side of a driver seat or installed at an instrument panel provided at the side of a passenger seat to protect an upper body of an occupant. Alternatively, the airbag device is variously installed at a door of the vehicle or at a lower portion of the instrument panel to protect each part of a human body such as a side, knees, or a lower body of the passenger.
When the airbag device is installed at the lower portion of the instrument panel of the vehicle or installed in the instrument panel, the airbag device is coupled with a cowl cross bar provided in the width direction of the vehicle by using an additional mounting bracket.
Patent document 1: Japanese unexamined patent publication No. 2003-205814
Patent document 2: U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0217728.
The airbag device according to the related art has a problem in that a coupling work of coupling the airbag device with the cowl cross bar through the mounting bracket is complex. In other words, according to the related art, one end of the mounting bracket is coupled with the cowl cross bar, and an opposite end of the mounting bracket is brought into contact with a housing bracket provided in an airbag housing and coupled with the airbag housing by using a coupling member.
In this case, in the state that a worker brings the housing bracket, which is provided in the airbag housing, into contact with the mounting bracket, the worker must grasp the airbag housing with one hand and couple the coupling member.
In addition, since the mounting bracket according to the related art has an unstable support structure, the airbag device may be moved when an airbag is inflated at the high pressure, so that the airbag may not be deployed to a right position thereof.
Further, since the mounting bracket according to the related art has no strong support structure, the mounting bracket may cause noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH).
Since the mounting bracket according to the related art has an unstable structure, the instrument panel may be deformed or broken when the airbag is deployed.